Book 2: Earth
by sam81609
Summary: [AxK]. My version on Book 2, Aang sets out to learn Earthbending. Azula, meanwhile, tracks the Avatar, and attempts to follow through with her fathers orders. Siege of the North Spoilers. Check profile for notes on story
1. 1 A New Adventure Part 1

**Book 2: Earth**

**By:**

**Guardiangirl1**

To be precise, this is my version of book two, which I will keep up until the actual book two starts. Cross your fingers that book two will be soon. I'll try to update this on a weekly basis, promise.

* * *

**Chapter 1**- A New Adventure **Part 1**

Aang looked at what was left of the Northern Water Tribe. His eyes fell on Sokka, who was talking to a man. Princess Yue's father. They both looked subdued, and Aang could understand why. Aang felt that to some extend, Sokka loved Yue. It's been a terrible loss, in a terrible war.

"Aang?" he looked around. Katara was there, waiting. "We going Aang?" she asked. He looked around at Sokka again.

"Yea", he said finally. Sokka turned away from the man, and made his way back to his friend and sister.

"Lets get going", he said, "Earthbending next, right Aang?"

"Uh…" Aang wasn't sure what to say. He still hadn't fully mastered waterbending. Katara would be teaching him from now on, but would that really be enough?

"Sokka", Katara said quietly, "It's okay if you're-"  
"I'm fine", he said shortly, climbing onto Appa, "Lets go"

Katara and Aang exchanged a look, and jumped onto Appa after him. They took off into the skies, leaving the remnants of the Northern Water Tribe, and some horrible memories behind.

* * *

_"If we knew each back then, do you think we still could have been friends?"  
"Stand and fight, Prince Zuko!"_  
_"Take my hand!"_

_But he wouldn't listen. He was pulled into the water, deeper and deeper…_

"Ah!" Zuko bolted up in his bed, breathing hard. He didn't even remember getting to his bed. He could only assume his uncle had brought him down after he fell asleep…

"Zuko?" speak of the devil. Uncle Iroh was standing in the doorway. "Are you okay Prince Zuko?"

"I'm fine", he said shortly, turning away from his uncle, "I just-"

_Crash!_ The sound came from above. They exchanged a glance before running up to see the cause of the commotion.

"Hello…brother", he got a quick glimpse of a girl with long, dark hair, and dark eyes, before he was knocked out.

**

* * *

**

"Nice view", Aang said, looking down at the water below them, "The scenery gets kind of boring after awhile though"

"It's getting kind of late", Katara pointed out, "If you want to get in some practice before we go to sleep, maybe we'd better find a place to make camp"

"Okay", Aang said, "That okay with you Sokka?"  
"What?" Sokka looked around, distracted, "Huh? Oh, yea, no problem, sure"

Aang and Katara exchanged another glance, but didn't say anything. They both knew Sokka was heartbroken at what had happened to Princess Yue. They also knew he was just covering up his true feelings. They excepted it, and Aang directed Appa to the ground below.

* * *

Camp was set up. Sokka worked to make a fire, and Momo was flapping around looking for bugs to eat. Appa was relaxing by a tree. Aang and Katara were trying to practice, but the impatient "tsk" from Sokka were distracting. Again, they ignored it, and tried to practice a little more. 

"Okay", Katara said, "I kind of know what you can already do, so lets skip the basics"  
"Okay", Aang said, grinning, "I like having you for teacher"

Katara smiled and turned slightly red, and Aang instantly regretted what he had said. They quickly got to work.

Sokka was getting more and more impatient with the fire. Every time he got a little spark, it flashed for a second, then went out. And Sokka was not known for his patience.  
_Crash!_ Sokka's head snapped around. Aang and Katara looked around, confused. Another crash sounded, and they saw a flock of birds rise from a group of trees a little ways away from them.

"What's going on?" Aang asked. Sokka shook his head, and stood up. They listened intently, but heard nothing else. "That was weird", Aang said, turning back to the water, "What do you think that was?"

"I dunno", Sokka said, turning back to the fire, "I just hope we don't find out the heard way"

* * *

_"Help me Sokka", he wandered through…where ever he was, looking around, confused._

_"Help me", the voice repeated, "Help me Sokka"_

Sokka awoke with a start, and looked around. He had fallen asleep on guard duty, but from the looks of it, nothing had happened while he was out.

"You were talking in your sleep", Sokka looked around. Aang was sitting up, looking at him weirdly.

"I was?" Sokka asked, attempting to laugh, "Oh, sorry if I woke you up"

"You didn't", Aang said, "Are you okay Sokka?"  
"I told you, I'm fine", he said firmly, "Go back to sleep. We have to cover some distance tomorrow if we ever want to find you an Earthbending master"  
"Okay…" Aang said uncertainly, "Night"

"G'night"

* * *

Okay, so shoot me, it isn't that long of chapter, and it probably wont be that great of a story. Well, I need something to fill the void until January, don't I? R&R! Until next time, bye bye! 


	2. 2 A New Adventure Part 2

Back! This'll most likely turn out to be a not so long chapter, I have two other stories- maybe three, I have to check- that also need updating, so this might not be all the long. Sorry.

**Disclaimer- **I'll call when i own Avatar

* * *

Chapter 2- A New Adventure **Part 2**

Out of grace, Aang didn't question Sokka about the night before the next morning. It was easy to see Sokka was grateful. Katara was confused, but didn't push it, knowing that if her brother really wanted to talk about it, he would eventually.

Aang and Katara got in an hour's worth of Waterbending practice before they took off into the sky again, but Katara still seemed to think Aang needed more work.

"I think you can do better", she said sternly, "You just don't seem to be trying your fullest. Just because you're the Avatar, doesn't mean everything comes to you so easy"

"I know, I know", Aang said quickly, smiling a little, "I'll practice, more, I promise"

He smiled as Katara turned away. Even though he didn't like having Katara mad at him, at least he was getting a little attention from her. Suddenly, he realized he could get a lot more if he pulled his act together on the Waterbending thing. He quickly resolved to do better.

"Okay, the Appa Transportation Service is taking off!" He announced, jumping onto the flying bison with great spirit, "Last call boys and girls!"

Katara giggled, and clambered onto Appa. Sokka followed suit with a lot less spirit, and no giggle. Aang barely noticed.

"Yip, yip!" he called spiritedly as Momo joined him up front. Appa growled in agreement, and took off into the air. Aang still had a huge grin plastered to his face. He was back in the air, he was getting a little better at Waterbending, and maybe if he practiced more, _maybe_ Katara would like him more. That would be great.

Sokka was looking over Appa's saddle, not really seeing anything. He was more or less thinking about that dream. He'd had plenty of dreams in his like (the strangest one so far being the one that food ate people) but the thing about this dream was, it wasn't strange. More like it was a memory. Like it had happened when he was really little, and was just trying to forget about it. Just like he was trying to forget about it now. It wasn't exactly working though.

Katara kept looking over at her brother. He seemed so upset about something. She really did wish she could help him. Ever since Yue died, he just hadn't been the same. She knew he had loved her. She remember, right after her mother died, her father acting the same way. Quiet, subdued, always seemed to be in his own world. That was why their father had gone to war. To forget the pain. She could only hope Sokka wouldn't try something just as stupid, if not more so. She wondered if she would ever find anyone she loved as much as Sokka had loved Yue, or as much as her father had loved her mother. Suddenly, her eyes darted over to Aang. He was smiling about something, and it was almost as if she were seeing him in a different light…  
She shook her head. _Aang is practically your best friend_, she told herself firmly.

_Since when is it against the law to be in love with your best friend?_ She countered.

_Oh shut up_, she shot back, _wait, I'm talking to myself. Great, now I'm going crazy_.

* * *

Zuko stirred, and looked around. He was surrounded by Firebenders. Where in the world was he? 

"Uncle!" he looked around in a panic; Iroh in a corner far away from him, unconscious. He tried to get up to help him, but was grabbed and held back by a group Firebenders.

"Don't worry", said a devious voice, "The traitor will live…if he's lucky"

Zuko spun around on his spot, "You!"

Azula laughed, "That's right, _Prince_ Zuko. Aren't you happy to see your big sister?"  
"No!" Zuko spat, "What do you want!"

"Ah yes…" Azula said cunningly, "Yes, yes, yes, I should of known you would want to get right to the point, very well…"

She paused. "Well then, you must have no clue what your doing!" Zuko snapped, trying to get up. Azula shoved him down, hard.

"Once a weakling, always a weakling", she laughed, " _Father_ has sent _me_ to capture the Avatar, as you have so far failed to do. Yes Zuko", she added, smirking at the look of shock on Zuko's face, "He never thought you could do it, you know. He sent you on this hopeless mission, just because he never wanted to see your pathetic face again. When the Avatar came back, though, he put _reliable_ forces in the job, to ensure you wouldn't be coming home anytime soon. He hoped Iroh-" she jerked her head at their uncle "-would find a way to keep from finding the Avatar, those were his original intentions, and Iroh was ordered to do so. I guess Iroh took a liking to you though. You probably remind him of his son. Iroh betrayed the Fire Lord, none the less, so I was sent to find the Avatar, and bring him in. Father trust me, unlike you, Zuko, he doesn't want me out of the way. That's why he sent you out. So sorry, Zuko, this must hurt _so_ much"

By the time his sister had finished the story, there were tears in Zuko's eyes, but he was determined not to let his sister see she was getting the better of him. He looked away, and managed to say, "If the mission is so _hopeless_, why did he send his favorite child out to fulfill it?"

Azula growled and kicked him the ribs. He was thrown backwards by the pure force of it, and slammed into the wall, completely winded. Now, to add to every other miserable feeling, a searing pain was shooting through his body; he'd be lucky if he didn't end up with a couple of broken ribs. "The Avatar is back you fool!" she snapped venomously, "You were sent out before he returned, maybe if you weren't do thick-headed, you could work out what I just said! Then again, what are but just a simple, banished prince, after all. I shouldn't expect anything less then ignorance out of you"

"I would expect more out of you", he gasped, pulling himself up, "I will capture the Avatar before you, I can promise you that much"

"How", she asked, going back to her venomously sweet manner, "do you expect to capture the Avatar, when you are locked in a prison hold?"  
He didn't have an answer. "Leave him here", Azula said, turning away from her brother, "I want this place ion tight guard, all day, everyday. Make sure my _brother_ and uncle do not escape, I shall bring them back, along with the Avatar. My father can have three for the price of one"

The door to the prison hold, and Zuko's only way out, shut, leaving him in almost complete darkness.

* * *

"Not bad Aang", Aang glowed with joy, "But there is room for improvement" 

His face fell. Katara, obviously thinking she'd hurt his feelings, added hastily, "Of course, you're still doing great. Better than I really thought you would"

"Well, lets' keep going", Aang said, "If there's room for improvement, I might as well improve, right?"

"Okay, right", Katara said, smiling, her thoughts from earlier almost completely forgotten, "So if you want to try again…"

Aang nodded, and waved his arms around, hoping against hope maybe _this_ time he could get the move down right.

"That was great Aang!" Katara exclaimed as the water flew into the air, and froze. Aang grinned and waved his hand again. The water thawed, and streamed back into the river. "Wow!" Katara was obviously pleased, "That was great, I can't believe you picked up on it so fast!"  
"Thanks", Aang grinned shyly, "I only got it because you were helping me, though"  
"Oh!" that was the last answer the Waterbender expected, "Well, it's obvious you wanted to get it, I just showed you how it was done…"

"Supper's almost ready", Sokka came along and broke the completely awkward moment, "Not that we have much, some nuts and berries, and a few fish…"

"I'll eat the nuts and berries", Aang said quickly, "You two can have the fish"

"Okay", Katara said, "We should probably think of eating before it gets cold"

"Yea", Sokka and Aang said quickly. They were both starving.

They ate their meal in silence, each kid in his or her own world. Sokka couldn't stop thinking about his dream. Katara was thinking about her friendship with Aang, and wondering if it really would become more than _just_ a friendship. Aang was wondering if Katara shared his feelings about the two of them, and thinking about how Sokka would react if he ever tried to kiss-

_Whoosh! _A fireball went whizzing past them, missing my two inches, and engulfing trees in a blaze. Aang looked around, obviously freaked, and saw a girl standing maybe ten feet away. She had dark eyes, and dark hair framing her face. She smirked viciously.

"Hello Avatar", she said. Before Aang had a chance, she fired at him. And he had no way to dodge.

* * *

"Uncle Iroh?" it was with every amount of insufferable pain Zuko dared try to utter is Uncle's name. _The traitor will live…if he's lucky_. Azula's words had stuck in his mind. What if Iroh didn't live? What could he do? Iroh was all he had anymore, his father obviously didn't want him, he was hated throughout the Fire Nation, and his sister (some sister) thought he was just a big joke. His uncle was all he had. He couldn't loose him. He simply couldn't.

* * *

Well, life pretty much stinks for everyone in this fic right now, doesn't it? I'll update next weekend, like I said before ( I think I said it anyway) I plan on updating on a weekly bases. Oh, and it turns out I have four fics to update, so I gotta hustle, please review! Oh, and one more thing: unless you can give me absolute proof of otherwise, I will continue to call Zuko's sister _Azula_. Give me proof it's _Zula_ and, or something else, and I'll change it. 


	3. 3 Azula

Okay, where'd we leave off again/scans through last chapter) oh yea…okay, right, this isn't the time for a recap, so if you want to know what happened, go re-read the next chapter! Oh, and as for Zuko's sister, I'm still leaving her name as _Azula_. All though Hart of flames gave me an idea. Here it is: "i think it's Azula but the A is silent so people don't put an a on it". It's a pretty good theory, and I, for one, and willing to go with it. Oh, and Sonamyfan said Azula (still not changing it) is Zuko's younger sister, so I'm going to switch to that idea, mostly for the sake of I don't want to start an argument. Anyway, now that I'm done babbling, lets get going with the story.

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**Chapter 3**- Azula

Aang jumped at the last second, just barely missing the fireball. He landed on the ground and looked over at the girl in shock. An evil smirk was playing around her lips.

"So", she said, " _You're_ the great Avatar. The little boy who has been giving the Fire Nation so many problems. You're no more than a fly"

"Who are you?" Aang asked, "What do you want?"  
"My name", she said silkily, "Is of no importance to you. And as for what I want, well, I want no more than what dear Prince Zuko wants, which is to capture you. I, unlike Zuko, _will_ capture you"

"You have to catch me first!" Aang snapped. He opened his glider and took off into the air.

"Is that all?" the Firebender called after him. She sent three good sized fireballs into the air. Aang managed to dodge them, but he took his attention off of where he was going.

"Aang, look out for that-!" _Wham_! "Tree…"

Aang flew right into the branch of a tree. His glider slipped from his hands and before he knew it, he was falling back towards the earth. At the last second though, he gathered the air around him and made an air pocket, allowing him to right himself and land on his feet. He looked back at the Firebender, who, to his surprise, was still smirking. Like she'd won or something.

"Who are you?" Aang said again, holding his staff up, ready to fight, "Tell me who are you now!"

"Such big demands for such a small boy", the Firebender scoffed, "And I thought my brother was bad…"

"Who are you?" Sokka had come in now. He and Katara were standing behind the Firebender, both poised for a fight.

"Oh, now do you really think you could fight me?" the Firebender asked with a laugh, "Now _that_ is funny. A couple of Water Tribe peasants think they can fight the Fire Lord's daughter. This is going to be easier than I thought"

Aang was done listening to her talk though. Who cared who she was, if she was going to threaten them, it didn't matter. He whirled his staff in the air, and brought it down, aiming at her. She whirled around just in time to be hit with a gust of wind. It barely fazed her though. "Is that all?" she asked Aang, "For the Avatar, you don't know how to do much, do you?"  
Aang glared at her for a second, and an idea hit him. This was a Firebender, instead of fighting with the air, he could fight with something that could beat fire…

He threw his staff aside and waved his hands in the air. A second later, a stream of water rose from the river, and flew obediently into the air. He aimed at the Firebender and streamed it in her direction. This time she couldn't dodge. She was hit with a face full of water.

"Yes!" Katara yelled, "Go Aang!"

"Okay, our turn", Sokka said, grabbing his boomerang and arn over to Aang. Katara nodded and ran after him. The brother and sister stood on either side of Aang, who was still glaring at the Firebender girl.

"Is that the best you can do?" the girl snapped. Her hair was still dripping wet, and her bangs were limply framing her face, "The Fire Nation's victory is assured if the world really depends on a pathetic Airbender with a few lousy water tricks to be its defender"

Before any of them could say or do anything, the Firebender had taken aim at the trees above them, and fired at them. Burning branches fell all around them, and the fire quickly spread to other trees due to the light breeze. And in all of that, the Firebender had disappeared.

"We have to put out the fire!" Katara cried. She and Aang quickly took aim and started hitting the flames with the water from the river. Before long, the fire was put out. A few trees were charred as well as the ground around them, but they had stopped the fire before the worst could happen.

"That was close", Sokka said as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Too close", Katara said, "Who _was_ that girl?"

* * *

Zuko looked around as the door to his cell opened. His uncle had finally woken up, but he seemed to be in worst shape than Zuko. At least he was conscious.

"What do you want?" Zuko snapped at his sister. She looked furious. Actually, furious wasn't the word, but there really wasn't a word for how angry she looked. Her eyes narrowed as soon as she heard Zuko's voice, and she whirled around and fired at him. He rolled out of the way and just barely dodged; he could feel the heat of the flames on his foot.

"You're going home early", she snapped at the Firebending prince and his uncle, ignoring Zuko's question, "The Avatar is stronger than I took him to be, I'm going to need more forces"

Zuko smirked, "So then, he's more the Daddy's baby can handle, huh? Azula's going to go running back to Daddy crying because she can't handle a little twelve year-old. Daddy's little girl isn't as grown up as he thought-"

He paid dearly for his moment of fun. Azula turned to face him, her eyes glowing with anger. She walked up to him and kicked him squarely in the mouth, knocking backwards.

"Laugh while you can", she spat, "Soon you will be under the Fire Lord's wrath"

She walked out without another word. Zuko straightened up, surprised the force of the blow hadn't knocked out a couple of teeth. His mouth was throbbing though.

"She was never the most pleasant of kind", his uncle said from the corner, grimacing horribly at the effort it took to speak.

"She will pay", Zuko said firmly, "I don't care whose favorite she is, she will pay for doing this to me. No matter what"

* * *

"Obviously, she was a Firebender", Sokka said, "But who was she? And who was this _brother_ she mentioned?"  
The group was still puzzling over their encounter with Firebender. How were they supposed to beat her? They got lucky once, didn't mean it would happen again. She was strong, stronger than Zuko, that was for sure. And there'd been times they could barely take _Zuko_ on, how could they take this new threat?

"I wish I knew who she was", Aang said suddenly, "Maybe that could help us"

"I doubt it", Sokka said flatly, "The only thing knowing who she is would help would be to get us information on her"  
"That would be help", Katara pointed out, "Well, we're not getting anywhere like this, lets get some sleep, we can talk about it in the morning"

Aang and Sokka nodded. They were all tired. They started to set up camp for the night.

* * *

Zuko struggled against the ropes that were holding him down. If only he could break the ropes. He could escape before he sent back to the Fire Nation to face who-knew-what kind of danger. An idea hit him. He struggled to move his hands around behind his back until he finally had them in a good position. He focused all his anger towards his sister on the ropes, and his hand began to feel very hot. Before he knew it, he had burned through the ropes. His hands free, he quickly untied his legs, then stumbled up to help his uncle.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea Zuko?" he asked as his nephew untied him.

"No", Zuko said flatly, "But she can't take me back to the Fire Nation, I wont let her"

"Just as well", his uncle said, standing up, "But how are we to escape?"  
Zuko looked over at the door. There was a loud _crash_ as the door went flying off its hinges, and landed on the floor, smoke rising off it.

* * *

Well, Zuko and his uncle on the road to freedom, Azula has made her presence known to the Avatar, and I'm updating a day late. Sorry about that last one, I got caught up in some other things yesterday. I'll update next Saturday for sure, promise. Now, review! 


	4. 4 The Great Escape

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May I just say, a Merry Christmas/Happy Kwanza/Happy Hanukah/if you don't celebrate any of these, disregard this! Consider this my present to everyone. I'm updating! Trust me when I say that's shocking. Now, chapter four! This is gonna be on the short side, sorry, it's mostly about what happens with Zuko and his sister (I'm making her out to be even worse then Zuko; now _there's_ something).

* * *

**Chapter 4**- The Great Escape

Zuko and his uncle crept along the halls, quite aware that by now, guards had come running to their cell, only to find it empty. He smirked at the satisfaction of knowing he was making his sister's life harder; it was what he had always worked for.

"Zuko, are you sure we are going the right?" Uncle Iroh asked, snapping the prince out of his thoughts.

"No", he admitted, "But I can hear the ocean, we must be close to the top"

"Just hope we do not encounter anyone along the-"

"FREEZE!"

"Way", Iroh finished unnecessarily, looking around. Azula was standing in the corridor, a look of pure anger on her face. Zuko stepped forward; it was time someone put this girl in the corner. "You want to fight me Zuko?" she asked, laughing, "This ought to be interesting"

"You aren't as strong as you think are", Zuko said firmly, "It's time someone showed you that"

Before he knew what was happening, a blaze of fire was coming at him. He just barely had time to jump out of the way; the flames burned the corridor behind. He glared at his sister, and without hesitating, aimed at her and fired. She didn't move, merely stood right in the path of the flames. And that was when Zuko knew it wouldn't matter.

"Oh dear brother", she said as she held her hand out; the flames careened around her like a delta, "You really are pathetic, aren't you? You can't beat me; maybe you should just realize that now and come quietly so there isn't anybody hurt. I'm sure Father would like you in one piece"

Zuko eyes widened in shock. He knew his sister was probably one of the best Firebenders around, but he had never seen someone manipulate the flames like that; it was amazing.

"Zuko!" he looked at his uncle, "We must escape", Iroh said, "There is a time to fight, but this is not it. Come!"

He jerked at the harshness in his uncle's voice and ran after him, looking back to see Azula taking aim. He grabbed his uncle and yanked him out of the way; the fireball missed by maybe two inches. Neither of them hesitated before taking off down the hall again. Zuko could see the darkened sky, they were close, very close…

But Azula wasn't letting them get away that easily. Zuko looked back again and saw that she was running after him and Iroh, and was once again taking aim to attack. They ran up the stairs with Azula close behind, and right as thy got out of the prison hold, a burst of flames came up behind them, followed by Azula, a look of complete and total evil on her face. "Give it up Zuko", she said as she took aim again, "You can't win"

The feeling left his legs. He saw the fire coming, closer and closer still, but he couldn't move. It were as if he were rooted to the ground. _He_ didn't react. But someone did. Iroh stepped in front of him, and before Zuko could do anything, Iroh was enveloped in flames.

"NO!" Zuko yelled; but there was nothing he could do. As the flames died away though, he got a surprise; Iroh was standing in the center, completely unharmed. His arms were held out, and Zuko understood; like his sister, Uncle Iroh also had a gift for Firebending. He'd been stupid to forget something like that. Iroh took advantage of Azula's mixture of shock and frustration, and grabbed Zuko by the arm, pulling towards a boat they could escape in. They both clambered in, and Zuko burned the ropes holding it up. The boat hit the water with a _splash,_ and Zuko quickly grabbed the oar and started rowing.

* * *

Okay, the almost great escape. That wouldn't make a very good chapter title though. Like I said, not long, but I've got a few more fics I have to update. So review, and my next chapter will be longer. Happy Holidays!

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	5. 5 The Fight

Hiya! Yes, I'm back, and I'm sure you're all very pleased…or not. Just read the story.

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Chapter 5- The Fight

Sokka stirred in his sleep and woke up. He looked around, wondering what had caused him to awaken. In the distance (the far, far distance) he saw burst of light erupting. He wasn't fooled. Firebenders. And they seemed close. They had to get moving before they were caught.

"Aang, Katara!" he hissed into the darkness, "Wake up!"

"Huh?" Aang shot up in a bolt, looking around sleepily, "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Just get up and start packing", Sokka said. He started rushing around their little camping area and grabbing any loose ends, accidentally grabbing Momo by the tail in the process.

"Ow!" he drew his finger back as Momo bit him. Katara got up and started packing up their sleeping bags.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Firebenders", Sokka said, nursing his injured finger, "I can see the flames in the distance-go on, look"

For more flames had arisen. "Are they trying to burn the forest?" Katara asked in shock, "They can't do that!"  
"Maybe they're fighting someone", Aang suggested as he threw some bags into Appa's saddle.

"Or looking for someone", Sokka grumbled.

"All the more reason for us to get going", Katara said firmly.

* * *

Zuko and Iroh had just barely made it to shore when Azula's ship caught up to them. Him and Iroh quickly jumped out. Within seconds they were surrounded by a Firebending army. Azula stepped out of the crowd.

"Now dear brother", she said in a dangerously silky voice, "Either come back with me or you die we're you're standing. Your choice"

Zuko's eyes narrowed. But he just didn't see a way out of this. He and Iroh were trapped. Period. But surrendering wasn't his style. He wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. And he would.

"So, you're going to resist?" Azula asked, "Fine, then you can be destroyed"

She waved her hand, and a wall of flames shot out of it. He had exactly one chance. He stood firm, moved in front of his uncle, and held his hands out, palms facing the flames. He focused every ounce of will power on parting the flames around him, saving himself. And just as he imagined it, it happened. The wall hit his hands and split. It didn't leave a mark. Azula's mouth dropped in shock. She quickly recovered.

"So, little Zuko knows how to fight", she said, breathing heavily; it was obvious she was trying to repress some well built rage.

"Little?" Zuko scoffed, "Last time I checked, _I_ was older"

"And _I_ was a better Firebender", Azula shot back, "No matter what you do, you can't resist me forever. You will loose"

"We'll see about that"

* * *

"Are the lights getting closer, or is it me?" Aang said suddenly. Katara and Sokka looked around. The flames were indeed getting closer. That was bad.

"Pack faster!" Sokka said. But as they finished packing, two figures burst into the clearing. One of them was the Firebender they had met earlier. The other was-

"Zuko!"

Zuko and the Firebender were fighting all right. And Zuko was loosing. "I'm confused…" Aang said faintly. Katara and Sokka were confused to. This was just way too much.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked. They watched the Firebenders fight, and sure enough, Zuko _was_ loosing.

"Should we help him?" Aang asked suddenly.

"Are you crazy?" Sokka asked, "We should run!"  
But it was then they were noticed. Both Firebenders stopped fighting and looked around at the sound of Sokka's voice, "The Avatar!"

"Nice going big mouth", Katara snapped. Aang grabbed his staff and held it level, ready to attack. Sokka grabbed his boomerang. Katara got into her waterbending position. They were ready to fight. Not everyone shared their feelings though.

"So…" the Firebender they didn't know said, "So. We meet again Avatar. We'll have to pick up this fight some other time though. Same to you dear brother", she added with a smirk. Before anyone could do anything, she fired at the ground, which practically exploded. When the dust cleared, Zuko and the Firebender were gone.

* * *

Ok, ok another short chapter I know, but it was pretty good, right? I hope it was 


	6. 6 A Surprise in Hykoshi

Hey, I'm back again! Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been busy, I feel bad for leaving my reviewers hanging. So, I'm going to attempt to make this chapter longer than usual, to make up for not updating in so long. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6**- A Surprise in Hykoshi

"So we're heading to the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Seng Sai to get you an Earthbending master while not only trying to dodge Zuko, but now his hot-headed sister?" Sokka asked as they were packing up to head out.

"That pretty much sums it up, yea", Aang said as he secured the last bag onto Appa's saddle.

"Great", Sokka said sarcastically, "And what's the bad news?"

"Come on Sokka, we made it all the way to the North Pole and Aang only got twice", Katara pointed out, "How hard can this be?"  
"Three times", Sokka said.

"No, it was twice", Katara argued.

"Three times Katara", Sokka said, "Once before we even left the South Pole, once by Admiral Zhao, and once when we got to the North Pole"

"Well I meant how many times he got captured before we got to the South Pole"  
"Well in that case it's still three times because-"

"Can you guys debate on how many times I got captured later?" Aang asked, jumping onto Appa, "Lets get going already"

* * *

"HA!" Zuko fired out towards sea. The fireball went a good two hundred feet before fizzling out. He was mad, and this was his way of letting out. Not only had he lost his boat, he'd lost his chance to get back at his sister for everything she'd done to him, and to top it all off, he'd lost his chance to capture the Avatar! In his view, he had every right to be mad.

"Calm yourself Prince Zuko", his uncle said, laying a hand on his Zuko's shoulder, "Your chance will come"  
"She always has to be better than me!" he raged, pulling his shoulder out of Iroh's grip, "Just once I wish I could show her up! Once!"

"The time will come when you will get what you want", Iroh informed his nephew, "You must be patient, Prince Zuko. Your time will come"

* * *

"Hykoshi?" Aang asked, "Why would we stop in Hykoshi?"  
"They have a market and a trading post there", Sokka explained, going over the map, "We could use a few more supplies"

"Good point", Katara said, "Sound good to you Aang?"  
"Yea", Aang said, "Sounds fine. You're right; we do need a few more supplies. Did you guys know Hykoshi is near the Easter Air Temple?"  
"Really?" Katara asked, interested.

"Yea", Aang said, "I used to by it all the time when I went to the temple to visit my friend Chi. I don't remember it having a market it though"

"It's probably changed in a hundred years". Sokka pointed out, "Things change, you know"

"Yea", Aang said thoughtfully. A small smile played over his face as he remembered one of the times he had come out to visit Chi

_Flashback_

_"Why are we coming down here Chi?" Aang asked as the Airbender pulled him along. He had never gone_ into _Hykoshi before; he'd usually just been riding Appa and flew over it_.

_"You'll see",_ _Chi said for the millionth time. He hated it when Chi kept secrets; it was one of the very few things that annoyed Aang about the girl. The other thing being her over hyperness._

_"This way", Chi steered him into the village, and they walked through the town to wherever it was Chi was taking him._

_"Here?" they'd stopped outside of a rundown old cottage that obviously wasn't being used anymore._

_"Yea", Chi said, "Here. Come inside"_

_Aang followed the girl inside, suddenly wondering if this was just another practical joke. It was like a hallowed out shell inside. The floor beneath them was sagging. The ceiling above them looked ready to collapse. The walls had small holes in them so that there were small rays of light here and there from the sun. What could Chi possibly want to show him here?_

_"Over here", she called softly. Aang made his way over to her, and saw she was standing next to an old, worn out, oriental like rug. "Watch this", she pushed rug aside and revealed a trap door. She pulled the door up and jumped down inside. "Come on Aang!" she called up. He sighed deeply and jumped down after her, landing softly as he hit the ground. He looked over at Chi, who was setting up a lantern. "There", she said as the lantern lit, "Ready? Lets go", she took off down a small tunnel with Aang following._

_"Whoa…" Aang said faintly as they walked. It was probably one of the coolest things he'd seen in his life. They walked for a good few minutes until they emerged into a larger cavern._

_"Isn't it cool?" Chi asked as Aang looked around, "I finally found a place I can keep stuff like my journal without anyone finding it. Neat huh?"_  
_Aang grinned, "Definitely one of your better finds Chi"_

_End Flashback_

"When we get to Hykoshi", Aang said to his friends, "I want to show you guys something"

* * *

"It's gone!" he exclaimed as they walked over to where the old cottage used to be, "I can't believe it…"  
"It's okay Aang", Katara said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He felt crushed. He was ready to really sulk when he thought of something. He walked forward onto the clearing and noticed burn marks on the ground. _The Fire Nation_, he thought. He scanned carefully through the grass that was growing there, searching, searching…

"Found it!" he stooped down and grabbed the ring that opened the trap door and yanked at it. It opened!

"Cool!" Sokka said, stepping forward, "Is this what you wanted to show us?"  
"Yea", Aang said, grinning, "Come on"

He lowered himself through the trap door, and hit the ground, sending dust flying, "Lets go!" he called to his friends. After much hesitation, they jumped down after him, and the trio ventured into the tunnel.

* * *

"We know he is trying to master Earthbending", Azula said to herself, "So he must be going to the Earth Kingdom Capital. After all, that's where most Master Earthbenders live. So it's only a matter of catching him before he finds a master. Okay, no problem. He's just a kid, after all. It's Zuko I have to worry about"

She reflected on the last fight with him. He was stronger than she had expected. She would have to watch her step with him. Luckily, everyone had their weaknesses. Zuko was no exception to this. He had two weaknesses. One of them was his temper. The other was something a tad more precious.

"Princess!" her head snapped up from the map she had been surveying.

"This had been be important!" she snapped at the guard who had interrupted her.

"The Avatar has been spotted", he informed her, "He's going to Hykoshi"  
"Hykoshi?" Azula repeated. She smirked, "Perfect. Set a course for Hykoshi"

**

* * *

**

Aang surveyed the cavern, a look of shock and horror on his face. The place was utterly destroyed. There were burn marks everywhere. Ashes were spread all over. It was a nightmare. "Fire Nation", Sokka said quietly. Aang nodded in agreement, and stepped forward. He kicked at something on the ground. He looked down. It was a book. A curvy, faded scribble on the front read _Chi's Journal_.

"What is it?" Katara asked.

"My friend Chi", he said quietly, "She showed me this place. She said she'd finally found a place to keep things like her journal hidden. This must be it"

He flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning them. He stopped after he hit a blank page, and went back to read the last entry in the book. It took him awhile to figure out Chi's writing (she'd never had a steady hand) but finally, he got it.

_The Fire Nation is coming_, it read, _I saw them destroy Monk Kasha. I don't know what they're doing, but I think…well, I think they might be looking for the Avatar. We received word from Monk Gyatso at the Southern Air Temple that Aang had disappeared. Obviously, the Fire Nation doesn't know that. I can only hope they won't find me here, and that I can go out to search for Aang when this passes. I hope I can maybe find some trace of other Airbender survivors, and hope that I will live to write in this again I-_

But it stopped there. And Aang knew. The Fire Nation had found her in her secret place. They had destroyed her, just as they had the other Airbenders. Katara eased the journal out of his hands, and read the page, with Sokka reading over her shoulder.

"Aang…"  
"Well, well, well", said a menacing voice from the entrance of the cavern, "If it isn't my old friend the Avatar"

Aang looked up from the ground. It was the Firebender from the night before. And she wasn't alone this time. Standing around her were at least a dozen other soldiers. Too many to fight. Or too many to fight and win. They were trapped. Utterly trapped.


	7. 7 Help from an Unexpected Place

Okay…yea, I'm updating, sorry it took so long, I've been busy. On with the chapter!

**Disclaimer** No owning of the Avatar on this end

* * *

**Chapter 7**- Help from an Unexpected Place

Aang held his staff out to fight. There was no way he was going to loose to this Firebender, whoever she was. His eyes narrowed at the girl, who smirked evilly.

"You think you can win", it wasn't a question. It was a statement. And even though Aang _knew_ he couldn't win, but he wasn't going down without fight.

"You could make it easy for yourself", the Firebender said, "Surrender. Surrender, concede, and you will live"  
"Not a chance!" Aang yelled.

"Suit yourself", the Firebender shrugged, "It will be much more fun to bring your body back to the Fire Lord anyways"

She struck before the three kids could see it. They were faster than their brains though, fortunately. Katara dodged left, Sokka dodged right, and Aang dodged up, jumping into the air. He whipped his staff and through the air and sent the mini Firebending army flying backwards into the cavern wall. He landed and straightened himself up. The Firebender girl stood up, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Aang held his staff ready again. Katara and Sokka tensed beside him, Katara getting into her Waterbending position, and Sokka grabbing his boomerang. The Firebender smirked at the resistance attempt, and once again struck faster than the eye could see. Aang whipped his staff through the air and knocked the fire ball into a wall with a gust of wind. He looked back just in time to see more flames heading his way. He moved this way and that, constantly spinning his staff around as a shield. He never got the chance to strike. The Firebender was moving too fast for him. He stepped backwards as the attack ceased, breathing hard. _She's too fast_, he thought, _I can't attack if I have to keep defending myself, and she knows that. I need a plan, and fast!_

"Okay!" he said suddenly, dropping his staff, "You win, I surrender!"

"What?.!" Katara and Sokka yelled at the same time, "Aang you can't!" Katara said tearfully, "No!"

"Ah, come to your senses I see", the Firebender nodded approvingly, "There may be hope for you yet. Restrain his friends!" she snapped at a soldier, "I don't want them trying to stop me"

Two soldiers stepped forward and grabbed Sokka and Katara, holding them back. Aang stepped towards the Firebenders, looking convincingly defeated. Just as one of the soldiers reached forward to grab him, he struck. He jumped into the air and kicked with all his might, slamming the Firebenders into a wall. He took aim and hit the two Firebenders that were holding Katara and Sokka back. The brother and sister grinned at each other, and then Aang, who smiled back.

"Wrong move Avatar", the girl Firebender said menacingly, "With out your staff to protect you, you're defenseless. Didn't think about that, did you?"  
Aang grimaced. No, he hadn't thought about that. Not at all.

"Now", the Firebender said, standing up, "Say goodbye, and mean it!"  
Aang watched as a fireball shot at him. He could hear Sokka and Katara yelling at him to run. But he had nowhere to go. His luck had run out. And suddenly…suddenly he was in a completely different place.

* * *

"AANG!" Katara screamed, tears in her eyes. She had watched flames engulf the young Airbender, watched as the Avatar disappeared before her very eyes. Horrible memories started flashing before her eyes.

_Flashback_

_Twelve-year-old Katara was sitting outside her tent, playing with a ball of snow. It was water, just frozen water, and she knew that. Maybe some day she'd be able to bend it. She grinned at the thought of being a Master Waterbender. It made her feel good, her little bright spot in this life._

_"Katara!" a lady stepped out of the tent behind her, her eyes bright and shiny as she looked down at the girl._

_"Look!" she jumped up, excited, "I can bend the snow Mom!"  
"I bet you can", her mother said fondly, "Would you like to show me?"_

_Katara nodded, grinning. She waved her hands gracefully in the air. Snow rose on command, but that was as far as she got. The snow got out of control from there, and shot out of her range, slamming into a fourteen-year-old boy, who was standing near a fire._

_"Katara!" Sokka raged, furious. Katara's eyes grew wide, and her mother laughed._

_"Nice try, my little Waterbender", her mother said, touching Katara's shoulder. Katara grinned. They didn't have much in the South Pole, but they had peace, and that was all that mattered._

_WHAM! Katara jumped backwards as a fireball hit the snow almost directly in front of her. Sokka whirled around, looking for the source of the attack, and ran towards his sister and mother. _

_"What was that?" he asked as he helped the two up. Katara's father stepped out of the tent, looking grim._

_"The Fire Nation", he looked at the burn mark on the ground, and then his petrified family. He nodded hardly and looked around, ready for another attack. The snow was turning black. Katara reached out to grab a handful._

_"Soot", Sokka said, examining the stuff. Katara quickly dropped it. Fireballs had begun to rain down on them. _

_"Get in the tent!" Katara's father yelled, shoving his wife and kids into the tent. Gran-Gran was waiting for them, with fear in her eyes. The men of the tribe had begun to assemble as the Fire Nation approached. Katara watched through the slits in the tent as the attack raged. _

_"Get away from there Katara", her mother grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back. None of them noticed as a fireball came down on the tent. _

_"The tent is on fire!" Sokka yelled as the tent went up in flames. Katara looked around, scared. _

_"Get out of here!" their mother yelled harshly. She shoved her children and Gran-Gran out of harms way, out into the cold. But as she made to leave herself, another fireball hit the tent, which went into complete flames._

_"NO!" Katara and Sokka yelled at the same time. Katara swung her hands into the air in an attempt to bend the snow onto the flames, to put them out. But each time all she managed was to hit Sokka. All they could do was watch as the tent turned into nothing but smoldering embers. Katara, unable to look anymore, dove into Gran-Gran's arms, crying._

_

* * *

_

_The attack ended at dusk. The Fire Nation retreated. But it was no victory._

_"Mom…" Sokka was standing in front of remains of their tent. There were tears in his eyes. Katara put her hand lightly on his shoulder. He looked around and after second the two fell into each others arms, crying._

_End Flashback_

"Aang!" Katara yelled, wishing her friend would answer, "_Aang_!"

* * *

Where am I? _Aang thought, looking around. If he didn't know any better, he'd say it was the Spirit World. But it was unlike any part of the Spirit World he had ever seen_

_"Hi Aang!" Aang jumped, and looked around. He knew that voice! That same, hyper active voice was the same one that belonged to a friend he had once visited long ago._

_"Did you miss me?" Chi materialized as if out of no where in front of him. She looked exactly like Aang remembered her. Same goofy grin. Same brown eyes. Same welcoming air around her._

_"Chi!" Aang cried in surprise, "Is it really you?"_  
_"No, it's a flying bison", Chi grinned, "Who else would I be silly?"_

_"Where are we?" Aang asked, "What's going on?"_

_"We're in the Spirit World", Chi explained, "I brought you here"  
"Why?"  
"To have a tea party", Chi said, "To help you, ya goof! You need answers and I have them!"_

_"Like what?"  
"Azula", Chi said, "That's the Firebender who is trying to catch you. Zuko is her older brother. The two are in some sort of competition for you. Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation long ago. Bringing you back will restore his honor. And Azula would like nothing more than to stop that. She's working on her father's orders"  
"Who is her father?" Aang asked._

_"Fire Lord Ozai", Chi said grimly, her cheerful disposition gone. She looked around suddenly. "You have to go", she said, "I was told not to bring you here. You have to go back to the regular world. But you're in a bit of a bind there", she grinned, "So I'm going to help"  
"You are?" Aang asked, "How?"  
"Watch and learn my friend"_

_

* * *

_

Sokka took hold of his sister's hand and held it firmly. He was doing his best not to cry as he watched flames engulf his friend. He had thought of Aang as a brother. And now he was gone. There was no hope.

"Sokka…" Katara said suddenly, "Look!"

Something was happening to the ball of flames that had engulfed Aang. They were parting. But in the middle wasn't Aang. Or, it wasn't exactly Aang.

It was Aang's body. But he was glowing. Not just the arrows on his body and his eyes, like when his Avatar Spirit was triggered. No, from the top of his head to his feet, his body was completely white. His hands fell to his sides. He looked around at the Firebender girl and her army. Wordlessly, he raised his hands into the air, and waved the around. The Firebenders were knocked backwards with brute force. They spun down the cavern on a gust of wind, and were expelled through the entrance. The kids waited, but they didn't come back.

Aang bowed his head, apparently satisfied. After a second, the glow around his body died away. As he faded back to his usual self, his knees gave away beneath him and he collapsed. Katara and Sokka ran forward and grabbed their friend as he fell. Katara cradled his head, still crying, only this time out of sheer relief. Aang's eyelids fluttered open. He looked into Katara's eyes. The two looked at each other for along time, and Katara pulled him into a hug, still crying. Sokka stooped down next to them, his hand resting on Katara's shoulder.

* * *

Good, bad, or horrible? The only way to let me know is to review, so do it! 


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